Reshape yourself

I’ve worked for four different organizations since I graduated from college. Going through the transition and onboarding at each new organization was an opportunity to correct mistakes from my past. I’m referring to mistakes in attitudes and actions where I let my feelings cloud my judgment. In some cases I became defensive rather than acknowledging my mistake or weakness. In other cases I was outwardly critical of management decisions because of personal preferences. The new job and new relationships became a chance to get rid of the organizational baggage that I carried. My actions were my personal public record. That record included the good, bad, and ugly. I had left my mark.

Seize the opportunity.

Changing employers is not a goal of mine. But when it happened, it was an opportunity to reshape and transform myself. The key for me was to reflect on my experiences. What actions and attitudes did I wish I could change and coarse correct? How would I behave differently given the chance? What was the root cause for my past behaviors? Was I behaving in the best interest of myself or the organization for which I worked?

There’s a classic interview question from candidate to employer, “what does it takes for a person to be successful in this position?” There are specific skills of course. But what about how the position fits in the organization and who does the position need to interact with to be successful. This is the opportunity to learn and shape actions for the new job.

The whole is more important than the pieces.

Reshaping myself has been about seeing the betterment of the whole organization as the goal. It has meant that I want my actions to be less about what’s most important to me and more about what’s most important to the organization. Reshaping myself has been about seeking common ground with others. It’s been about finding win-win outcomes to better everyone. It’s been about being a better employee, colleague and manager.